DefeatistMay 23, 2014May 23, 2014 at 04:49 AM
#1
(Three months prior to joining the Company)
Leaping two at a time, illuminated gold-leaf stairs groaned slightly as slight paws graced their worn oaken face. The delicious scent of aged wood and musty jute linens gave way to a nearly overwhelming wash of fragrant cedar shaving and extracted dragonthorn sap incense.
….To ensure that … grace us again with your faithful patronage. Ra’zaka agrees ... moon sugar must be first tasted to ensure quality, of course … satisfaction with this one’s product … more than merely an upfront sample….
The Khajiit voices below ebbed and flowed, broken by the sharp bold laugh of an openly underhanded Khajiit, followed by a nectar sweet voice muffled among the numerous plush tapestries and enigmatic oak paneled walls.
…Ra’zaka aran, as this one had agreed … be received in full as soon as … found satisfactory … the dozen gaited stallions from Dune’s own … half … the Palomino… extra …
Leaving earshot even with an altered stride, gentle footpads settled on the landing and sped down a short hallway. Vibrant textile drapings concealed the oaken paneling, depicting fanning Ginkgo leaf motifs and Khajiiti dancers leaping over prime cattle, celestial bodies and tangled lovers among the reeds of the Xylo river.
D’ni dodged, squeezing through the slightly ajar Jone and Jode embellished double doors in an unhurried, accustomed manner. Warmth radiated upon her as she entered, a wide glass bulb with an ornate grated gold cap bore several fiery objects clinking quietly from within. She smiled genuinely and stepped over to the glass bulb placing her slender silk spinners’ palms upon the hot glass exterior. Infant magma shalks skittered over and among pumice stones and one another. Her honeyed eyes danced in the light of the shalks and lingered beyond her Shanasheel brass lattice-worked window screen. Beyond all those ornamental leaf shapes was the deep dark of Azura’s panther fur. Her eyes glazed over as she stared out into dusky night.
The door clicked closed behind D’ni and she spun. A rough hand grabbed her scruff hard jerking her off her feet and dragging her. She yowled venomously and hissed, reaching back behind her head and shredding. The air caught in her lungs as she was thrust over the maple end of her bed, knees ramming into the planks. The yowling grew to frantic.
Let go of me! Let go! Let me go LET ME GO! Awrraaaaaaa!
She started thrashing back and forth, head shoved deep into the plush silk duvet. The fist clenched around her scruff anchoring her firmly against the linens just so that her back curved awkwardly, hips digging into the footboard, legs spread wide, vulnerable.
The panic began to flow this in her veins, she could smell it thick in her fur. The breath was caught in her throat as dread crept up from deep inside her. Her heart was hammering in her chest, the writhing began to weaken under his adamantine grip and claws digging into her flesh. Fingers crept over her spidersilk kaftan. D’ni writhed hard against his fist, her head jerking to the side barely glimpsing the great, rough pitch colored hand creeping underneath the Night blooming cereus embroidered kaftan. The world around her grew foggy as breaths grew faster and faster except for the dismay as rough fingers grabbed the back of her leg. The blood was drumming in her ears and the thick fingers began to pet her long thin waist. D’ni lay still, shock paralyzing her limbs. The hand clutched her scruff and dragged her closer and pressed his muzzle against her neck nipping at her with a satisfied grunt. Her eyes were wide and began to glaze over as hairs on the inky paws grappling her began to snap with static. The fur around her neck bristled and she could feel it inside, something running through her, up and down her body, feel it on her tongue and under her skin. Dry and hot and white.
You’ll be mine soon little kit, in just a week the shipment of steel armaments and kindlepitch will arrive. This one’s half of the bargain will be fulfilled and then it will be your turn to fulfill Ra’zaka’s share..
A resonating roar burst from between D’ni’s clenched teeth and her body erupted into light. Thunder clapped, threads of hot white light jumping up and down her body the lilies on her robes glowing with a silvery gleam. Her body glowed as her growling roars flared out, frame transfigured into translucent fluid lightning. The hot bolts flowed around the jet cat through his grasping paw causing him writhe away roaring in pain as the threads of lightning roped around him.
Daedra take you, you fucking spawn of Sanguine! Don’t even think you can escape me, cursed demoness! I’ve paid for your bloody hide you little bitch! You belong to me!
Her father’s skooma jaguar was seared from head to paw, no more an inky purple-black but chalky coal and livid. He choked and gasped on the smoking rose carved wooden floorboards. D’ni twisted around taking a fighting stance growling deep in her throat ,wide eyed and taking a step back towards the bulb full of shalks. The jaguar’s eyes shot straight to the infant shalks and scrambled towards her roaring.
D’ni lept and flung the melon sized glass bulb straight at the jaguar. The globe shattered upon the floor, a dazzle of shards propelled across the flooring in all directions, and gouts of flame spouted out of the egg sized shalks burning linens, floor boards, and cat alike. Roars could be heard from the stairs below, deep and vengeful, tinged with wicked acute depravity. The room was rank with the scent of fear bleeding through her fur. Under her breath as she watched the room and the cat catching,
This one is finished being treated like furniture…. This one belongs to none but herself..
D’ni swung behind a gold hinged, lapis lazuli inlay privacy screen with sugar addled Senche laying upon ivory stones.
Sugar gorged Senche, wood and flesh alike will burn this night..
Whispered D’ni as she snatched shimmering green combat vestments from upon it and leapt nimbly up onto the dusty windowsill shoving open the Shanasheel brass screen into the darkness and springing out. As the shock of the assault passed, a blithe smile crept into her eyes, and fell across her spotted muzzle. Heavy crunching of iron boots on gravel met her perked ears and with a dancer’s footwork and crescent claws, D’ni dug into an old oak, gold petal ornamented pillar and shimmied herself up onto the crosspiece above. She nestled herself soundly into the shadows of the dusty, tile roofed garden pavillion.
She had only had upward of 20 years to learn the secrets of these grounds, her fathers skooma cat mercs would not find even a stray hair from D’ni’s beautiful speckled pelage. Heavy breath after heavy breath she compelled to silence as a party of what sounded like the cacophony of kitchenware crunched loudly down the path, amber eyes glowing down at them from the rafters above. Dull senche tigers unfortunately were not the only grunts under Ra’zaka’s employ and from their casual gait it it could be discerned that they did not know of the impending structural damage to Ra’zaka’s manor. D’ni slipped an object out of her dress pocket, something wrapped in cloth. Coarse midnight blue cotton possessed a little moon symbol upon it which was wrapped around a bulbous glass bottle, little bigger than D’ni’s own fist. Her small paws held the Khajiiti prayer flag to her lips,
May S’rendarr’s Sorrow guide this one to warm sands tonight...
uncorked the bottle and drank. Within seconds her form began to shimmer and melt acquiescing into Azura’s pantherian fur. Only paw prints on the dusty crossbar and the slightly marred face of the ornamented oaken column announced her refuge there.
Far above, surveying from the heavens hung a solitary Masser, full and tinged crimson as if by blood, as well as a shrouded Secunda undoubtedly dancing just out of the greater celestial body’s reach. Beneath their night-long vigil among the trickling sound of flowing water being impeded stood a shivering obscured figure. Below the surface on the slow flowing channel claw scrabbled against algae coated stonework finally finding purchase on the seams between shale stones. The wavering ethereal frame lept out of the canal against the steep-sided watercourse with a slight spray, turning its head around to look up at the lip of the ditch above which glowed orange from its vantage point.
You bloody foo.. find Ra’zak… By the two moons! …on’t get paid at all if you don’t… the Boss will hear of this! The Crimson Tear wi… Quick! .. Water from the canal...
The muted curses, shouts, and panicked wails could be heard past the Khajiit’s thundering heart beat. Blood drummed in her ears as they stood tall shimmering transparent and flared open catching every sound that crept over the horizon. The slight Khajiit’s invisible frame shimmied along the shale edge of the knee-deep canal in the sunken gully smirking wickedly even past the panic driven adrenaline throbbing under her fur. The feminine feline form sprung onto a dry grassy depression in the culvert leading up to the beige daub plastered walls of Ra’zaka’s stables when her translucent pelt began to ripple and shift opaque revealing tawny gold and spots. D’ni scrambled up and out of the shady depression crouching low and shrinking into the shadow of the stables. Silhouettes of Ra’zaka’s cat tailed rats scurried about the base of the looming rumah adat manor, now rife with the tongues of salamanders licking the steep arching tile roof and whole western wing.
D’ni turned her back on the fire, hopped upon the splintery oaken fence, and peered into the reek of the stable through a broad oak-framed window. Ears perked for signs of life but yielded nothing. So D’ni vaulted through and landed in a noiseless puff of dust facing a disused rack of moonsugar cane saw blades, rakes, and an assortment of more regularly utilized farrier’s tools: hammers, tongs, nippers and rasps. D’ni has several painful moments to examine their well-worn countenance from a stock still crouch as her ears, swiveled round, searched in earnest for the source and validity of the indistinguishable sound she had just noticed. Then again a dull gasping moan came from through the planking beyond the far wall and then a more impassioned second. D’ni’s body softened as she twisted to face the dark interior wrinkling her nose at the horse fragrance and wondering silently,
Wasn’t the stable boy a little young to be rutting.. He was only 16 last time this one had checked. D’ni thinks it must be that healer… Must be because his mother called him Kishna, the poor kit. She did want a female after all.. Hah! And H’el always told this one that Kishna was just pretending to humping the stable boy’s behind as some sort of strange masculine joke. Does not sound like a joke to this one..
D’ni rolled her eyes in the darkness and gave an inaudible sigh as she crept by a number of crates and barrels in various states of repair and contents. Her eyes scanned filled stall after filled stall until her eyes came to rest on her quarry. Even in the indiscriminate pale blue of her night eyes, the palomino stood out from the blacks. Not only was it’s shimmering coat and mane unmistakably lighter but it stood with an equine poise while the blacks slouched about like a bunch of skooma suckers. D’ni’s agile fingers opened the stable latch silently and swung the door open to a bewildering sight. The stable boy in his preoccupation with the estate’s healer had left the Palomino saddled complete with reins, bit and halter piece. He hadn’t even removed the saddle bags she considered angrily as she turned her attention once again towards the muffled moaning of Khajiit. Her dainty palm stretched out occupied by a plump red apple she had snagged from one of the decrepit barrels and the malcontent mare plucked at it with a renewed vigor. D’ni petted the white diamond on the mare’s nose briefly and whispered.
You are far superior to the others are you not? In fact, you are not wholly unlike me, you wish to be free from these pushy Khajiit not even allowing the choice of who rides you..
D’ni snarled quietly at the word rides. The palomino gave an indignant snort of agreement and D’ni shushed her quickly with a finger eyeing the source of the interspersed moans.
D’ni thinks you wish to be a Khajiit, free to leap nimbly from this stuffy box eh? Vakash.. wishes to be. If you come with me, my Vakasasha, you can feel your silvery silk mane in the wild wind once again.
A wild grin had crept on D’ni’s face as her mind was partially lost to the fantasy. The palomino stamped a hoof softy jolting her from her thought and stepped forward pressing its forehead against D’ni’s chest and the cheetah spotted Khajiit’s grin only widened,
Let us be swift, my golden Vakasasha..
D’ni wrapped the reins in her hand and began to lead the palomino slowly towards the northern exit, away from the occupied moaning and bumping of the stableboy. The dwarfed Khajiit bid the ebon stallions farewell as a wash of ash laden night air washed over her occasioning a fit of subdued coughing. The final barrier to success stood several Cathay-raht high, being of course the object of Ra’zaka’s obsession for at least a month a long while preceding today’s events. Yet as D’ni peered out of the stable’s oaken mouth towards the gate, its single guardian appeared to be laying incapacitated in the grass or else had a sudden hankering to stargaze. At least that is all she could discern by the light of the huge gold leaf brazier suspended by a thick oaken post and lintel adjacent to the gate. D’ni crept out and let go of Vakasasha’s thick antelope leather reins to investigate. She approached nonchalantly though sticking to the shadows. Overly aware of the shouts on the horizon and the now fiery roaring, D’ni hastily reached an acceptable distance to observe that the guard was indeed incapacitated.
Are all the estates staff partaking in libertine indulgences tonight?
D’ni raised her eyebrow in disbelief and then bounded back to Vakasasha beckoning her forward towards their freedom. They circled the prone Khajiit sprawled in the dry grass by the brazier at a distance to reach the vast ogee arch double gateway. The oaken gates were intricately engraved with stylized stars and moons and celestial bodies, inlaid with various stones and painted with gold and copper leaf. D’ni pressed her palm gently against the worn surface and the gate groaned rather louder than D’ni had expected. The little mage shot an inch or two into the air and jerked around to find the mercenary unmoved by the cacophony. She grumbled unsure if it was irritation at the gate or the mercenary.
Wasted on the job, no doubt by those Bosmeri concoctions, AND this Khajiit just left the gates open!? It’s a wonder we have not all been murdered in our sleep already..
There was an itch under D’ni’s pelt as she saw the darkness of Azura’s panther fur beyond the gates and the brazier's familiar light. The eager cheetah tugged at the palomino’s reins grinning up at it seeing the shared yearning its bright mahogany eyes. The little cat leapt into the saddle shedding her irritations and together they raced off towards the town of Portneu View and away from the seething inferno.
Leaping two at a time, illuminated gold-leaf stairs groaned slightly as slight paws graced their worn oaken face. The delicious scent of aged wood and musty jute linens gave way to a nearly overwhelming wash of fragrant cedar shaving and extracted dragonthorn sap incense.
….To ensure that … grace us again with your faithful patronage. Ra’zaka agrees ... moon sugar must be first tasted to ensure quality, of course … satisfaction with this one’s product … more than merely an upfront sample….
The Khajiit voices below ebbed and flowed, broken by the sharp bold laugh of an openly underhanded Khajiit, followed by a nectar sweet voice muffled among the numerous plush tapestries and enigmatic oak paneled walls.
…Ra’zaka aran, as this one had agreed … be received in full as soon as … found satisfactory … the dozen gaited stallions from Dune’s own … half … the Palomino… extra …
Leaving earshot even with an altered stride, gentle footpads settled on the landing and sped down a short hallway. Vibrant textile drapings concealed the oaken paneling, depicting fanning Ginkgo leaf motifs and Khajiiti dancers leaping over prime cattle, celestial bodies and tangled lovers among the reeds of the Xylo river.
D’ni dodged, squeezing through the slightly ajar Jone and Jode embellished double doors in an unhurried, accustomed manner. Warmth radiated upon her as she entered, a wide glass bulb with an ornate grated gold cap bore several fiery objects clinking quietly from within. She smiled genuinely and stepped over to the glass bulb placing her slender silk spinners’ palms upon the hot glass exterior. Infant magma shalks skittered over and among pumice stones and one another. Her honeyed eyes danced in the light of the shalks and lingered beyond her Shanasheel brass lattice-worked window screen. Beyond all those ornamental leaf shapes was the deep dark of Azura’s panther fur. Her eyes glazed over as she stared out into dusky night.
The door clicked closed behind D’ni and she spun. A rough hand grabbed her scruff hard jerking her off her feet and dragging her. She yowled venomously and hissed, reaching back behind her head and shredding. The air caught in her lungs as she was thrust over the maple end of her bed, knees ramming into the planks. The yowling grew to frantic.
Let go of me! Let go! Let me go LET ME GO! Awrraaaaaaa!
She started thrashing back and forth, head shoved deep into the plush silk duvet. The fist clenched around her scruff anchoring her firmly against the linens just so that her back curved awkwardly, hips digging into the footboard, legs spread wide, vulnerable.
The panic began to flow this in her veins, she could smell it thick in her fur. The breath was caught in her throat as dread crept up from deep inside her. Her heart was hammering in her chest, the writhing began to weaken under his adamantine grip and claws digging into her flesh. Fingers crept over her spidersilk kaftan. D’ni writhed hard against his fist, her head jerking to the side barely glimpsing the great, rough pitch colored hand creeping underneath the Night blooming cereus embroidered kaftan. The world around her grew foggy as breaths grew faster and faster except for the dismay as rough fingers grabbed the back of her leg. The blood was drumming in her ears and the thick fingers began to pet her long thin waist. D’ni lay still, shock paralyzing her limbs. The hand clutched her scruff and dragged her closer and pressed his muzzle against her neck nipping at her with a satisfied grunt. Her eyes were wide and began to glaze over as hairs on the inky paws grappling her began to snap with static. The fur around her neck bristled and she could feel it inside, something running through her, up and down her body, feel it on her tongue and under her skin. Dry and hot and white.
You’ll be mine soon little kit, in just a week the shipment of steel armaments and kindlepitch will arrive. This one’s half of the bargain will be fulfilled and then it will be your turn to fulfill Ra’zaka’s share..
A resonating roar burst from between D’ni’s clenched teeth and her body erupted into light. Thunder clapped, threads of hot white light jumping up and down her body the lilies on her robes glowing with a silvery gleam. Her body glowed as her growling roars flared out, frame transfigured into translucent fluid lightning. The hot bolts flowed around the jet cat through his grasping paw causing him writhe away roaring in pain as the threads of lightning roped around him.
Daedra take you, you fucking spawn of Sanguine! Don’t even think you can escape me, cursed demoness! I’ve paid for your bloody hide you little bitch! You belong to me!
Her father’s skooma jaguar was seared from head to paw, no more an inky purple-black but chalky coal and livid. He choked and gasped on the smoking rose carved wooden floorboards. D’ni twisted around taking a fighting stance growling deep in her throat ,wide eyed and taking a step back towards the bulb full of shalks. The jaguar’s eyes shot straight to the infant shalks and scrambled towards her roaring.
D’ni lept and flung the melon sized glass bulb straight at the jaguar. The globe shattered upon the floor, a dazzle of shards propelled across the flooring in all directions, and gouts of flame spouted out of the egg sized shalks burning linens, floor boards, and cat alike. Roars could be heard from the stairs below, deep and vengeful, tinged with wicked acute depravity. The room was rank with the scent of fear bleeding through her fur. Under her breath as she watched the room and the cat catching,
This one is finished being treated like furniture…. This one belongs to none but herself..
D’ni swung behind a gold hinged, lapis lazuli inlay privacy screen with sugar addled Senche laying upon ivory stones.
Sugar gorged Senche, wood and flesh alike will burn this night..
Whispered D’ni as she snatched shimmering green combat vestments from upon it and leapt nimbly up onto the dusty windowsill shoving open the Shanasheel brass screen into the darkness and springing out. As the shock of the assault passed, a blithe smile crept into her eyes, and fell across her spotted muzzle. Heavy crunching of iron boots on gravel met her perked ears and with a dancer’s footwork and crescent claws, D’ni dug into an old oak, gold petal ornamented pillar and shimmied herself up onto the crosspiece above. She nestled herself soundly into the shadows of the dusty, tile roofed garden pavillion.
She had only had upward of 20 years to learn the secrets of these grounds, her fathers skooma cat mercs would not find even a stray hair from D’ni’s beautiful speckled pelage. Heavy breath after heavy breath she compelled to silence as a party of what sounded like the cacophony of kitchenware crunched loudly down the path, amber eyes glowing down at them from the rafters above. Dull senche tigers unfortunately were not the only grunts under Ra’zaka’s employ and from their casual gait it it could be discerned that they did not know of the impending structural damage to Ra’zaka’s manor. D’ni slipped an object out of her dress pocket, something wrapped in cloth. Coarse midnight blue cotton possessed a little moon symbol upon it which was wrapped around a bulbous glass bottle, little bigger than D’ni’s own fist. Her small paws held the Khajiiti prayer flag to her lips,
May S’rendarr’s Sorrow guide this one to warm sands tonight...
uncorked the bottle and drank. Within seconds her form began to shimmer and melt acquiescing into Azura’s pantherian fur. Only paw prints on the dusty crossbar and the slightly marred face of the ornamented oaken column announced her refuge there.
Far above, surveying from the heavens hung a solitary Masser, full and tinged crimson as if by blood, as well as a shrouded Secunda undoubtedly dancing just out of the greater celestial body’s reach. Beneath their night-long vigil among the trickling sound of flowing water being impeded stood a shivering obscured figure. Below the surface on the slow flowing channel claw scrabbled against algae coated stonework finally finding purchase on the seams between shale stones. The wavering ethereal frame lept out of the canal against the steep-sided watercourse with a slight spray, turning its head around to look up at the lip of the ditch above which glowed orange from its vantage point.
You bloody foo.. find Ra’zak… By the two moons! …on’t get paid at all if you don’t… the Boss will hear of this! The Crimson Tear wi… Quick! .. Water from the canal...
The muted curses, shouts, and panicked wails could be heard past the Khajiit’s thundering heart beat. Blood drummed in her ears as they stood tall shimmering transparent and flared open catching every sound that crept over the horizon. The slight Khajiit’s invisible frame shimmied along the shale edge of the knee-deep canal in the sunken gully smirking wickedly even past the panic driven adrenaline throbbing under her fur. The feminine feline form sprung onto a dry grassy depression in the culvert leading up to the beige daub plastered walls of Ra’zaka’s stables when her translucent pelt began to ripple and shift opaque revealing tawny gold and spots. D’ni scrambled up and out of the shady depression crouching low and shrinking into the shadow of the stables. Silhouettes of Ra’zaka’s cat tailed rats scurried about the base of the looming rumah adat manor, now rife with the tongues of salamanders licking the steep arching tile roof and whole western wing.
D’ni turned her back on the fire, hopped upon the splintery oaken fence, and peered into the reek of the stable through a broad oak-framed window. Ears perked for signs of life but yielded nothing. So D’ni vaulted through and landed in a noiseless puff of dust facing a disused rack of moonsugar cane saw blades, rakes, and an assortment of more regularly utilized farrier’s tools: hammers, tongs, nippers and rasps. D’ni has several painful moments to examine their well-worn countenance from a stock still crouch as her ears, swiveled round, searched in earnest for the source and validity of the indistinguishable sound she had just noticed. Then again a dull gasping moan came from through the planking beyond the far wall and then a more impassioned second. D’ni’s body softened as she twisted to face the dark interior wrinkling her nose at the horse fragrance and wondering silently,
Wasn’t the stable boy a little young to be rutting.. He was only 16 last time this one had checked. D’ni thinks it must be that healer… Must be because his mother called him Kishna, the poor kit. She did want a female after all.. Hah! And H’el always told this one that Kishna was just pretending to humping the stable boy’s behind as some sort of strange masculine joke. Does not sound like a joke to this one..
D’ni rolled her eyes in the darkness and gave an inaudible sigh as she crept by a number of crates and barrels in various states of repair and contents. Her eyes scanned filled stall after filled stall until her eyes came to rest on her quarry. Even in the indiscriminate pale blue of her night eyes, the palomino stood out from the blacks. Not only was it’s shimmering coat and mane unmistakably lighter but it stood with an equine poise while the blacks slouched about like a bunch of skooma suckers. D’ni’s agile fingers opened the stable latch silently and swung the door open to a bewildering sight. The stable boy in his preoccupation with the estate’s healer had left the Palomino saddled complete with reins, bit and halter piece. He hadn’t even removed the saddle bags she considered angrily as she turned her attention once again towards the muffled moaning of Khajiit. Her dainty palm stretched out occupied by a plump red apple she had snagged from one of the decrepit barrels and the malcontent mare plucked at it with a renewed vigor. D’ni petted the white diamond on the mare’s nose briefly and whispered.
You are far superior to the others are you not? In fact, you are not wholly unlike me, you wish to be free from these pushy Khajiit not even allowing the choice of who rides you..
D’ni snarled quietly at the word rides. The palomino gave an indignant snort of agreement and D’ni shushed her quickly with a finger eyeing the source of the interspersed moans.
D’ni thinks you wish to be a Khajiit, free to leap nimbly from this stuffy box eh? Vakash.. wishes to be. If you come with me, my Vakasasha, you can feel your silvery silk mane in the wild wind once again.
A wild grin had crept on D’ni’s face as her mind was partially lost to the fantasy. The palomino stamped a hoof softy jolting her from her thought and stepped forward pressing its forehead against D’ni’s chest and the cheetah spotted Khajiit’s grin only widened,
Let us be swift, my golden Vakasasha..
D’ni wrapped the reins in her hand and began to lead the palomino slowly towards the northern exit, away from the occupied moaning and bumping of the stableboy. The dwarfed Khajiit bid the ebon stallions farewell as a wash of ash laden night air washed over her occasioning a fit of subdued coughing. The final barrier to success stood several Cathay-raht high, being of course the object of Ra’zaka’s obsession for at least a month a long while preceding today’s events. Yet as D’ni peered out of the stable’s oaken mouth towards the gate, its single guardian appeared to be laying incapacitated in the grass or else had a sudden hankering to stargaze. At least that is all she could discern by the light of the huge gold leaf brazier suspended by a thick oaken post and lintel adjacent to the gate. D’ni crept out and let go of Vakasasha’s thick antelope leather reins to investigate. She approached nonchalantly though sticking to the shadows. Overly aware of the shouts on the horizon and the now fiery roaring, D’ni hastily reached an acceptable distance to observe that the guard was indeed incapacitated.
Are all the estates staff partaking in libertine indulgences tonight?
D’ni raised her eyebrow in disbelief and then bounded back to Vakasasha beckoning her forward towards their freedom. They circled the prone Khajiit sprawled in the dry grass by the brazier at a distance to reach the vast ogee arch double gateway. The oaken gates were intricately engraved with stylized stars and moons and celestial bodies, inlaid with various stones and painted with gold and copper leaf. D’ni pressed her palm gently against the worn surface and the gate groaned rather louder than D’ni had expected. The little mage shot an inch or two into the air and jerked around to find the mercenary unmoved by the cacophony. She grumbled unsure if it was irritation at the gate or the mercenary.
Wasted on the job, no doubt by those Bosmeri concoctions, AND this Khajiit just left the gates open!? It’s a wonder we have not all been murdered in our sleep already..
There was an itch under D’ni’s pelt as she saw the darkness of Azura’s panther fur beyond the gates and the brazier's familiar light. The eager cheetah tugged at the palomino’s reins grinning up at it seeing the shared yearning its bright mahogany eyes. The little cat leapt into the saddle shedding her irritations and together they raced off towards the town of Portneu View and away from the seething inferno.
TryynityMay 23, 2014